Don't like Dickens?

If you don't like Charles Dickens' writing, might I ask which of his books you've read?

I have a theory that most people's encounter with Dickens consists entirely of A Tale of Two Cities and/or Great Expectations. I expect these two are read mainly because they're assigned in school, and because they're short(er). But having become a recent Dickens fan, I think it's a shame that these are read most often, especially Great Expectations.

I love happy endings, and these don't end quite as splendidly as I wish. Nor do they have entirely sympathetic main characters, in my opinion. Interesting, yes, but not heroes you root for and want to emulate. Pip is rather unlikable for quite a while, though he gets a little better. Lucy and Darnay are likeable and noble, but a bit flat, and Carton is the scoundrel turned noble, but then he's gone suddenly just when he's turning around.

Oliver Twist I haven't read yet, having gathered from the film and play that it's depressing.

But there was a whole list of novels Dickens wrote, which I had never even heard of. Alas! Glorious books, how have I missed you all my four-and-twenty years?

I hadn't even heard of Bleak House or Little Dorrit two years ago, but now they're firm favorites. I think they're much more interesting and satisfying stories than the better known tales, though they are a bit longer. Ah, but so much more room for Dickensian characters and huge plot developments! :-) Now I'm itching to find and read all the other Dickens novels I've never heard of, since I like them the best so far. I would encourage you to do so also, and then let me know what you think of my theory. :-)

I've been told that Dombey and Son is an excellent picture of how a woman can build up or tear down. And apparently Andrew Davies is planning to write that one next as a miniseries, hurrah! So I might tackle that one next, and see what I think of his version after reading the book this time.

But it might be a while. After finishing Little Dorrit, I re-read On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, by Andrew Peterson, and am about to dive into the just-out sequel, North! Or Be Eaten, from which pages not even Dickens will be able to distract me. Watch for reviews and thoughts!

"short" post turned long and rambly

pretending to be a farmer's wife

I've been feeding our friend's animals (cats, dog, chickens, guinea, and lamb) and watering their plants again this week. The Attack Rooster has thus far kept his distance. Perhaps because I now enter the coop armed with a sturdy stick. Perhaps he's only waiting until the last day, when I'm least on guard. Perhaps he's sharpening the spurs on his legs so as to be quite prepared to make a deep puncture, and collecting plenty of little bacteria and evil dirty things with which to infect the said wound.

I've told him I forgive him for last time, though, and for being a roosterly rooster. We'll see if he believes me.

Other than the threat of infection, tending to "the farm" has been fairly pleasant, as always. I love how dirty I usually get, how wild my hair and how mud-streaked my feet, just from watering a few plants and feeding a few animals! It's quite humorous. But of course, where there is dirt, I must get some on myself. Not that the animals mind.

one last adventure of the summer

The very day I finish my animal-feeding job, I will be departing my fair little town in the midst of Nowhere to go to the Renewing the Family Camp! Our good friends the Grubens invited me to go with them, and I am quite honored and excited. Not only to spend time with my dear old friends, but to meet and fellowship with other God-loving families of similar convictions. And I believe two young ladies who inspire me greatly through their writing and documentary will be there...

Who else might be there? I have this nagging feeling that one or more lovely people whose blogs I read might show up, and that I will not make the connection until the camp is over. Meeting folks in real life can be so different from the online world, though... perhaps it would be better if you keep an illusion of my grace, elegance, and eloquence ...;-)

After the family camp, I'll probably stay with the Grubens for a week or so until we contrive a way to get me back home. They have just moved, so I hope I can help with organizing, cleaning, or another of the millions of tasks that go along with moves. And I'm sure we'll find time for a bit of coffee, craziness, and cloak-wearing as well.

dreaming and dilligence

In other news, I've been taking too many naps, watching too many movies with Whit and the Mother, eating too much bread (loaf, biscotti, scones, cookies), reading Little Dorrit, and writing for my job. I need to be more diligent, though, because I'm a bit behind on the last one. Ideally I would write an even two hours a day, but lately I end up doing it all near the end of the week. Starting next month I'm going up to 20 hours a week, which means I can't do that anymore. Not sure what needs to go, besides constantly checking Facebook. Getting up early consistently would help. So would not having a temporary job of watering zuchini and feeding a lamb who insists he's constantly starving.

But isn't it funny how sometimes the busier you are, the more you end up getting accomplished? I was lately encouraged by this post by the Botkin sisters. My head is often off in the blue building castles in the clouds and not getting anywhere useful, so it was challenging to hear them encourage young ladies at home to work on marketable skills. I'd like to think I could have a thriving, easy home business making bread, but really this writing job which the elders at church have given me is much more productive and useful. I pray I can go after it will all the excitement and diligence I can, so I'll have more time to give my family and friends and to do the things I really want to (like reading good books, making bread, and writing my own stories)

So much for my "quick" update post! I don't even have pictures in this one. Ah well. Back to work now. And I hear some fresh homemade fig bars came out of the oven too! So farewell!

The day our King comes o'er the water

I may sit in my wee old house
at the spinning wheel to toil so dreary

I may think on a day that is gone,
and sigh and sob till I grow weary

I ne'er could brook, I ne'er could brook
a foreign king to own or flatter

And I will sing a ranting song the day
our King comes o'er the water


I heard this lovely Scottish song the other day and was struck to the heart. The entire song, here, speaks of a Scottish lady's longing for the return of Stewart rule in her land. Being of Scottish ancestry myself, I felt a kinship with Lady Keith, and even now thrill thinking about "the day of pride and chieftain's glory":

I have seen the good old day,
the day of pride and chieftain's glory

When royal Stuart held the sway
and none heard tell of Whig or Tory

Though silver be my hair one day,
and age has struck me down, what matter

I'll dance and sing that happy day,
the day our King comes o'er the water


This song reminded me of Arthur Pendragon, who I have been thinking of quite a bit lately already.


Legends say that one day he will return to England in its time of greatest need. Stories continue to be written portraying this event, and I have no doubt there are many more to come. Sometimes they're lame. They're all a little disappointing. But they will keep coming. Because despite our modern, democratic, individualistic ideals, a longing lurks deep inside us all for a king who will come and make everything right again, with a sword of justice in hand, and compassion and glory shining in his eyes.



Gondor waited for their king for nearly a thousand years. Even the Hobbits had a saying "When the king comes back," though they used it "of some good that could not be achieved, or of some evil that could not be amended."

I also think of another King whose coming has been anticipated long. His arrival shall be no anticlimax. No, it will be more wonderful and terrible than I can begin to even imagine or want (at first - think of Puzzle the donkey, shrinking away in Aslan's presence!). Though I will always be His child no matter my poor choices (thanks to His unfathomable grace!), yet I do not always walked by faith as He asks. Too many of my works will likely be burned up as the worthless straw they are, because I was trying to do things my way, not God's way.

Do I grow too comfortable here, submitting to the rule of the "foreign king" and evil ruler of this world?

Oh may I live as a faithful servant for my King who I cannot yet see! May my smallest actions be based on trusting Him. And may I eagerly await with my life the day when"our King comes o'er the water"!



If I live to see the day that I
have begged and begged from heaven

I'll fling my rock and reel away,
and dance and sing from morn till evening

For there is One I will not name
who comes the beingin bike to scatter

And I'll put on my bridal gown
the day our King comes o'er the water

If I did it, so can you!

I tend to be a broken record. I get one idea in my head, and can't seem to lose it. The idea, that is. My mind I tend to misplace quite often... ;-)

But for those of you who want to know more about my NaNoWriMo experience and thoughts, here you go.


I tried NaNoWriMo two years ago, but only reached about 12,000 words, I think, and then go so far behind that I decided to give up. But I had a glorious taste of its joys that first time.

This last year, I tried again and actually won! The feeling of accomplishment and exhilaration at the end was simply indescribable. Of course my story was corny and often very predictable, but when you're writing furiously, when your inner editor is banished for the month (on pain of purposely mispelling every word to torture it untill it leaves), things start to happen that you could never have planned. Weird characters come out of nowhere. Dull characters start to say and do the funniest things. Long and twisty slides just happen to appear as perfectly handy escape routes.

Yes, that actually happened in mine.

The whole thing was definitely worth while, even if my wild tale never ends up going anywhere beyond my own editing. Some NaNoWriMo novels have been published, so it is possible. But it's not the main goal.

If you can get your hands on a No Plot? No Problem! book (the "official" NaNoWriMo guide), it's a great encourager. It does have a bit of crude language, so beware. But even if you just flipped through it at a library or bookstore, it's highly motivating and quite hilarious. And it mentions ninja monkeys.

Last year I posted my story on a private blog and sent invites to family and friends who I thought might be amused and/or interested. That was actually quite motivating for me. They were constantly commenting and wanting more, urging me to not leave my characters in dire situations, and I had more fun torturing readers (and myself) with horrible cliff-hanging chapter endings and corny mysterious lines left dangling.

Another thing that helped was having a good friend of mine in another state do it with me. She and I sent each other chapters as we finished them, and even though we didn't always have time to read them, it was a extra nudge to write my own story when I saw she'd just written a new bit. This technique might only work with one other person, and the best thing would be if it was someone you knew wouldn't mind typos or corniness or plot holes, because of course they will abound. Taking time to edit in the middle will kill your creative impulse. Find someone else craz- er, creative, and do it together!

As to times, try to figure out a good time to write. Away from sight of beds or comfy couches, if possible! If your days are very flexible (mine were last year, since I stay at home a lot and help my family and do all sorts of random and odd tasks every week), then it might actually be harder than, say, writing mainly in mornings or at night. But make yourself do it.

When you're in your novel, in "the zone", watching the story unfold before your very mind's eye, time is no more. You become a pioneer, going where no man or woman or kid or squirrel has ever dared to stick a toe before. And I think you get a wee, tinsy tiny glimps of the joys of creating which God had when He spoke the world into being.

I might be saying more about NaNoWriMo in future blog posts... The bug to write has really bitten me early this year, and I want other people to share in the joys of NaNo! ;-) If you decide to do it, please let me know, and I would love to encourage and urge you on! If you live nearby (you know who you are), we might even organize some writing days to meet at a bookstore and type together furiously for a few hours of literary silence. With coffee. Lots and lots of tea, chocolate, and coffee. :-)

Why write a novel in a month?

"The reasons are endless! To actively participate in one of our era's most enchanting art forms! To write without having to obsess over quality. To be able to make obscure references to passages from our novels at parties. To be able to mock real novelists who dawdle on and on, taking far longer than 30 days to produce their work."

~ the NaNoWriMo website ~



Come along with me on the adventure of NaNoWriMo! It's a dangerous business, taking up the challenge. You start writing, and if you don't keep your sanity (which in some cases is overrated), you never know where you'll be swept off to.

:-)

Itchy Noveling Fingers

This past week I finished my intense six weeks of Next Step classes at church, and now I am trying to catch up on housey things and get back into a decent writing schedule. Writing for work, mainly. Once I get that down somewhat, I'll be freer to write purely for fun.

(Bella, our black cat, says "Mrooaaw" from her upside-down posture on the floor, by the way. She looks so cute and plump when she lies on her back, with all four paws in the air, and her little spot of white fluff prominently displayed on her large tummy.)

I want to send out a quick shout-out to fellow writers! Do you know what month that starts with N is coming up rather quickly? Do you want to go on a fabulous and crazy adventure with me? Do you smell the fall in the air, and feel the chill wind blowing you inside to mugs of hot stuff and worlds of imagination?

NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, will soon be here! Visit the official website for more about the marvelous madness, of which I partook last year. Muhahaha.

My little desk has a new spot to live, and she and I are getting on nicely. I haven't worked with her in a long time because of a bad location, but now her nooks and little drawers are fairly organized, her flat surface fairly clear, and she's been helping me immensely to get back into a good writerly routine.

What is a good desk name? My friend Catie would know, as she names everything from geraniums to cars to computers. Hmmm... Perhaps Little Dorrit. Always helpful, never complaining. Yes, I think that suits her. ;-) I shall try to post a picture of Little Dorrit at some point in the future.

Time for more writing and a mug of coffee! And please do think about joining me for NaNoWriMo in November. I'll mention it again well before then to remind you. You don't know what you're missing if you refuse!

My lovely apron!

I actually won a blog givaway! And it was not some useless trinket only fit to gather dust and be tossed. Nope. It was this marvelous apron! I am quite prone to spills, drips, and dribbles when around food, and the Lord knows it. Isn't His provision wonderfully fitting? ;-)

Thank you, Miss Jen, for my cute apron! It's wonderful! Don't you all agree, readers?

Here I am, holding a bowl of just-mixed bread dough. This apron is fit to dance in. :-) Apron, bread-making, white kitchen... ah, glorious.

Miss Jen is such an inspiration to me, with her cooking, sewing, and wise thoughts! Visit her blog, Blessed Femina, to see for yourself.

Classes... Crazines... Is there a connection? ;-)

Greetings, Folks! Happy Independence Day! Yesterday we celebrated the 4th with our church out on the Triple L ranch, so today has been nice and quiet. Aside from the glorious thunder and pounding rain, haha! Lovely. I've been catching up on work, listening to Mr Eben's talks,

sipping Twining's Spiced Tea from a lovely tea cup,

enjoying candlelight and thunder and rain,

and knitting furiously on a scarf that's been unfinished far too long. I seriously need to branch out into hats or blankets, or at least do some patterned scarves. But hey, it's fluffy and mindless work. Just what I need sometimes.

So, that's my silly picture post, complete with weird hair and Woot! shirt. The camera on my laptop is too much fun! Have a grand day, and remember the freedoms our fathers died for!

Hi, I'm Rael. I'm arrogant.

I have been having a wonderful time with the people in Next Step classes! There are about five local couples, three folks from South Africa, several people from other parts of Africa, and two gentlemen from China. Yesterday we went to the Pecos Rodeo. That was fun. I sat by the Irish and Scottish couple who are missionaries in Zambia. That's not something one gets to do every day!

This afternoon's Next Step class is computer basics. When I found that out, I was tempted to leave. I think I know how handle Word documents and open email attachments. (Hear any sarcasm there? Naw, it can't be. Rael is never sarcastic!)

But I think I'll stay for a bit. The Techknow Monks are very patient, and it's humbling to watch them explain what I think is so basic.

Ah, now Caleb is explaining Word. I admit, I don't know where everything is located on this new version. Ha! I really don't understand everything.

How sad life would be if the world was only as big as I thought!

Dynamic Tensions

In the last Next Step class of this morning, we looked at the pattern of seeming contradictions in Scripture:

Jesus is God and Man

The Trinity is three and one

We are to be Striving and Content

We are to be Hungry and Filled with righteousness

God is sovereign and man has free will

Christ is in time and Christ is outside time

We can living for this moment and for eternity

All these dynamic tensions don't make sense to us. Being brought up with a western Greek philosophy of thinking, of relying on wisdom, we can hardly imagine seeming contradictions actually both being true. But the Scripture is full of them! Holding the tension, admitting the paradoxes are confusing, can actually lead us to walking by faith! God is God, and His ways are more than we can understand. We can trust Him. We can and should use the reason and wisdom He gives us, but He is the one on whom to lean.

This stuff is blowing me away!

Quote on Boxes

Here's a quote that gives a taste of what the Next Step classes are about. Quite challenging!

"A box is anything that takes the Kingdom of God in its immensity and tries to twist it, wash it, shine it, doll it up, mix it up with other things or otherwise shrink it to our will. We just can't help doing it. It's a big part of being human. Watch any typical two-year-old, and you will see it in action even with imperfect earthly parents.

"But that doesn't make trying to put the Kingdom in a box any less of a waste of time and a degradation to the dignity of God's calling for us."

~ Tim Dunn, Happiness Unboxed ~

And on a lighter note,

(reading beginning of Job) "'There was a man in the land of Uz' - that's where the Wizard of Uz came from." ~ Tim Dunn

Back in the classroom, exhausted, and loving it!

Greetings, my friends!

This week I have started attending a series of Bible classes called Next Step Discipleship Training at my church. It's amazing so far. I wish I had the energy and discipline each afternoon to give a report here, but at the moment here's a quick summary.

We have classes from 8a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday for six weeks, aside from a few other activities. This Monday was mostly introduction to the program. Tuesday was all team-building stuff, like those funny challenges where everyone has to work together. We also did a high ropes course that day. But the rest of this week Mr. Dunn has been teaching "Happiness Unboxed," which is overwhelmingly wonderful. At the moment we're studying Romans, talking about the confusion between justification and sanctification, and seeing that God does actually want us to be happy! In fact, most of the Bible is not about how to get saved from hell to heaven - it's mostly about how to live after that, how to make right choices and change our understanding to be God-focused. The problem comes in when we think we know better than Him what will bring lasting happiness. Anyway, hopefully more on this later. :-)

I'm writing this quickly because I'm about to leave for NSDT classes again. Then this afternoon we're all heading down to the Davis Mountains for a weekend! I'm rooming with a sweet older lady whose husband couldn't come. We're going to the observatory tonight, and tomorrow for a wilderness hike. It should be fun!

I'll try to blog more (Jonny, thanks for the prod!) but if I don't, perhaps y'all can see why. Farewell, and may you be happy in God today! :-)

gathering, baking, visiting, and other putterings

Today, I

• went to friends' house where I gathered eggs, watered plants, and fed dog, fish, and cat their respective foodstuffs
• tried my hand at angel food cake, since I have extra eggs... success!
• visited with Grandma
• plodded along in Ivanhoe
• searched for quotes to add to my writing
• cleaned the kitchen
• admired the huge bunch of garden flowers bursting from a mason jar on the kitchen table
• enjoyed a light pattering of sprinkles
• quaffed plenty of coffee and nibbled a square of Ghirardelli raspberry-filled chocolate left from Christmas (I know, how could it last so long? I s'pose I have a habit of hoarding my stocking goodies for special occasions, or impulsive moments when I actually remember my hidden treasures)
• looked forward to a family coming over tonight for tea, desert, and conversation... and maybe a little Speed Scrabble?
• watched the Mother make homemade chocolate syrup
• found this horridly-funny-yet-true quote:

“She's the sort of woman who lives for others - you can tell the others by their hunted expression."
~C. S. Lewis~

Aslan song

Good song I just listened to on Pandora Radio! Hope it encourages someone as it did me. :-)

Aslan

-Kendall Payne-

Don't stop your crying on my account
A frightening lion, no doubt
He's not safe, no he's not safe
Are you tempted now to run away?
The King above all Kings is coming down

But He won't say the words you wish that he would
Oh, he don't do the deeds you know that He could
He won't think the thoughts you think He should
But He is good, He is good

I know you're thirsty, the water is free
But I should warn you, it costs everything
Well, He's not fair, no He's not fair
When He fixes what's beyond repair
And graces everyone that don't deserve

No one knows Him whom eyes never seen
No, I don't know Him but He knows me
He knows me, He knows me

Lay down your layers, shed off your skin
But without His incision, you can't enter in
He cuts deep, yeah He cuts deep
When the risk is great and the talk is cheap
But never leaves a wounded one behind

DVD giveaway alert!

Kim over at Life in a Shoe is giving away a set of amazing DVDs on subjects ranging from apologetics, family life, history, politics, and culture. I must say they all look fascinating. Head to Kim's blog and comment on her post to enter the drawing!